Meeting system
Encyclopedia
A meeting system is any systemic means of improving meeting
s, workshop
s or conferences. They are particularly important in consensus decision making and deliberative democracy
, but they have always been recognized as important to judicial procedure and parliamentary procedure
, down to the level of the town meeting
or below.
There are many such systems, of which one of the best-known is probably Robert's Rules of Order
, which is applied in parliamentary debate and corporate meetings in many English-speaking countries. Also well-known is the cross-examination debate applied in both criminal law
and civil law
. Much innovation in meeting systems has come from objection to these two basic models, notably because both reflect an adversarial process
.
When used in political or economic contexts, meeting systems are very often associated with a voting system
. When used in matchmaking
or other sexual/romantic contexts, a meeting system is considered a dating system. These are discussed in other articles.
Meeting
In a meeting, two or more people come together to discuss one or more topics, often in a formal setting.- Definitions :An act or process of coming together as an assembly for a common purpose....
s, workshop
Workshop
A workshop is a room or building which provides both the area and tools that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods...
s or conferences. They are particularly important in consensus decision making and deliberative democracy
Deliberative democracy
Deliberative democracy is a form of democracy in which public deliberation is central to legitimate lawmaking. It adopts elements of both consensus decision-making and majority rule. Deliberative democracy differs from traditional democratic theory in that authentic deliberation, not mere...
, but they have always been recognized as important to judicial procedure and parliamentary procedure
Parliamentary procedure
Parliamentary procedure is the body of rules, ethics, and customs governing meetings and other operations of clubs, organizations, legislative bodies, and other deliberative assemblies...
, down to the level of the town meeting
Town meeting
A town meeting is a form of direct democratic rule, used primarily in portions of the United States since the 17th century, in which most or all the members of a community come together to legislate policy and budgets for local government....
or below.
There are many such systems, of which one of the best-known is probably Robert's Rules of Order
Robert's Rules of Order
Robert's Rules of Order is the short title of a book containing rules of order intended to be adopted as a parliamentary authority for use by a deliberative assembly written by Brig. Gen...
, which is applied in parliamentary debate and corporate meetings in many English-speaking countries. Also well-known is the cross-examination debate applied in both criminal law
Criminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
and civil law
Civil law (common law)
Civil law, as opposed to criminal law, is the branch of law dealing with disputes between individuals or organizations, in which compensation may be awarded to the victim...
. Much innovation in meeting systems has come from objection to these two basic models, notably because both reflect an adversarial process
Adversarial process
An adversarial process is one that supports conflicting one-sided positions held by individuals, groups or entire societies, as inputs into the conflict resolution situation, typically with rewards for prevailing in the outcome...
.
When used in political or economic contexts, meeting systems are very often associated with a voting system
Voting system
A voting system or electoral system is a method by which voters make a choice between options, often in an election or on a policy referendum....
. When used in matchmaking
Matchmaking
Matchmaking is any process of matching two people for the purpose of marriage or a sporting contest.-Practice:In some cultures, the role of the matchmaker was and is quite professionalized...
or other sexual/romantic contexts, a meeting system is considered a dating system. These are discussed in other articles.
Examples of meeting systems
- Robert's Rules of OrderRobert's Rules of OrderRobert's Rules of Order is the short title of a book containing rules of order intended to be adopted as a parliamentary authority for use by a deliberative assembly written by Brig. Gen...
- Cross-examination debate
- Consensus decision making
- DotmocracyDotmocracyDotmocracy is an established facilitation method for collecting and recognizing levels of agreement on written statements among a large number of people...
- Nominal Group TechniqueNominal group techniqueThe nominal group technique is a decision making method for use among groups of many sizes, who want to make their decision quickly, as by a vote, but want everyone's opinions taken into account . The method of tallying is the difference...
- Open Space TechnologyOpen Space TechnologyOpen-space technology is an approach for hosting meetings, conferences, corporate-style retreats, and community summit events, focused on a specific and important purpose or task—but beginning without any formal agenda, beyond the overall purpose or theme.- Law of two feet :If at any time you find...
- Open-space meetingOpen-space meetingThe open-space meeting or open space meeting is a generic term describing a wide variety of different styles of meeting in which participants define the agenda with a relatively rigorous process, and may adjust it as the meeting proceeds...
- Erskine MayErskine May, 1st Baron FarnboroughSir Erskine May, 1st Baron Farnborough, KCB, PC, DCL was a British constitutional theorist. This derived from his career at the House of Commons.-Biography:...
's Treatise on the Law, Privileges, Proceedings and Usage of Parliament - Any genuine dating system, i.e. those where people really meet